LG Chem to make first domestic 6-in-1 vaccine for infants

South Korea's LG Chem Ltd. will produce the nation's first homegrown six-in-one vaccine for infants, something that the country is entirely reliant on imports.

The company on Tuesday said it registered its first tester for the domestic phase 1 clinical trial of APV006.

APV006 prevents six infectious diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, meningitis and hepatitis B. It contains a hepatitis B-preventive effect added to a five-in-one vaccine and requires two fewer shots than the latter.

In phase 1 clinical trials on 42 healthy adults at Seoul National University Hospital, the company will evaluate APV006's safety and immunogenicity, or the ability of cells and tissues to provoke an immune response, compared to a previously commercialized six-in-one vaccine.

LG Chem pledged to play a role in stable supply chains by developing the country's first domestically developed six-in-one infant vaccine. The France-based multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company Sanofi is the country's lone supplier of such a vaccine.

The clinical development of APV006 and related facility construction will cost an estimated 200 billion won ($156.1 million), with commercial application expected before 2030.

"Given fears over shortages, a highly significant development task is to prepare an environment in which our children can stably receive essential vaccines by localizing all technologies for manufacturing original solutions for six-in-one vaccines," said Son Jee-woong, head of LG Chem's Life Sciences division.

"We will expedite domestic commercialization through timely investment and actively contribute to the prevention of infectious disease worldwide by continuously expanding the number of countries to enter."

To enter the procurement market for international organizations, LG Chem is also conducting phase 2 clinical trials of LBVD, a six-in-one whole cell pertussis-based vaccine that uses whole pertussis bacteria to prevent diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, meningitis and poliomyelitis.

Write to Yoo-Rim Kim at youforest@hankyung.com